STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 95 



Mr. Gideon. I had no personal acquaintance with Charles 

 Downing. I have been in correspondence with him for twenty 

 years. I could heartily agree with friend Harris that no other 

 man in the United States stands higher among horticulturists; 

 he was first. He led out and developed, you may say, all the 

 balance. I would not detract one jiarticle from the greatness of 

 Mr. Wilder; he has done a great work for horticulture; but still 

 Charles Downing led us all. He has done everything a man 

 could do to j)romote horticulture in the United States. Two 

 years ago I concluded I would meet Charles Downing, visit and 

 spend Thanksgiving with him. I went down there and thought 

 I would take him a little by surprise. When I arrived I found 

 he was in New York City, crushed almost to death by the cars 

 and was unable to receive company, so I never had the pleasure 

 of seeing him. 



The resolutions were unanimously adopted. 



Mr. Harris. Mr. President, I would take this opportunity to 

 announce that we have lost from our roll of membership two 

 persons during the past year. I am unable to eulogize either of 

 them or to say anything in relation to them, as I was not person- 

 ally acquainted with them. Mr. Stearns, I believe, has died 

 within the year, and last Sunday, Eichard Porter, late of Olm- 

 sted County, was buried. He has been an earnest and a zealous 

 worker in his way in horticulture, almost all his life, and was 

 popular and favorably known wherever he has lived. I would 

 sugg3St that Mr. Sias be requested to prepare a memorial upon 

 his death; I will make a motion to that effect, as he was a neigh- 

 bor of Mr. Porter. 



The motion was adopted. 



Mr. Smith moved that Prof. Porter be asked to prepare an 

 gbituary notice of H. C. Stearns, of Minneapolis, which was also 

 adopted. 



OLMSTED COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The following report was then read by the secretary, of the 

 Olmsted County Horticultural Society, and the report of the 

 fruit committee of the Rochester district. 



The twelfth annual meeting of this society was held at the of- 

 fice of the Rochester Post, on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 3, 1885. 



